


Dolly

by neon_lights21



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Gen, Graphic Description, Not Really Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 11:12:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19744561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neon_lights21/pseuds/neon_lights21
Summary: Yunho wakes up one morning with no memory of who and where he is, nor can he remember any of the Ateez members.He had no memory of going to sleep in that room the night before. The harder he tried to put together an explanation as to how he had ended up there, the more his mind seemed to go blank.It was all unfamiliar.





	Dolly

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me at midnight when I was trying to fall asleep and it got me so excited I ditched finishing my other fic just to write this. Also, trigger warning for... whatever this is.

Yunho was woken up by a loud screeching sound that made his hair stand on his skin. He struggled to keep his eyes open. It felt like he had steel eyelashes that were weighing down his eyelids, preventing him from opening them completely. There was a dull ache in his head that muddled his thoughts and made his stomach roll with nausea. The pain slowly crept down his neck and made him want to go back to sleep and stay awake at the same time. In the end, he was forced to stay awake because of someone's incessant chattering. The light coming in through the window momentarily blinded him as he slowly opened his eyes again. He could only make out the silhouette of someone moving around before his vision cleared. He slowly peeled off the covers and sat up in his bed, eyes darting around the room. It was rather small, but it looked cozy. There was a white closet being rummaged through by someone in the far left corner and a small desk littered with papers and toiletries next to it. The wooden floor was illuminated by light filtering through a window right in front of the bunk bed he was occupying. He shivered as he felt a chilly morning breeze enter the room. In the other corner of the room there were a few drawers and some shelves installed on the wall. They were filled with framed pictures of him and some boys around his age, him and a middle aged couple, him and another boy who couldn't have been any older than him. There seemed to be many pictures of him and that boy where they were smiling like they were having the time of their lives. 

Yet it was all unfamiliar. 

He had no memory of going to sleep in that room the night before. The harder he tried to put together an explanation as to how he had ended up there, the more his mind seemed to go blank. He took another look at the pictures, willing himself to recognize the people beaming at him through the photographs. But all he came up with was white and static. He put a hand to his head and gasped gently as he felt a sharp pain stab through it, making him shut his eyes tightly as he scrunched his nose. When he opened his eyes again the other boy was approaching him and judging by the way his mouth was moving, he was saying something but Yunho could only hear muffled noises over the static. 

“ _Yunho,”_ he heard a woman whisper. _“You are Yunho.”_

Suddenly there was a hand waving in front of his face. He jumped back, startled.

“Are you gonna sit there all day?” The boy said with disapproval written all over his face.

Yunho opened and closed his mouth, trying to reply to the boy, but nothing came out. He gulped and licked his lips. The boy in front of him was tapping his foot on the floor, waiting for Yunho to say something. He raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to grab Yunho’s arm. He felt his breath get caught in his throat and before he could react, the boy shoved him out of the room in a spacious hallway.

It was all unfamiliar.

“Go wash up, we haven’t got all day,” the boy said cheerfully before disappearing in the opposite direction.

He needed time to think, to make sense of his situation. He could just lock himself in the bathroom, it wasn’t like the boy would break in if he spent too much time in there. Yeah, washing up seemed like a great idea.

Yunho looked around the hallway, trying to find some indication of where the bathroom could be, but all the doors were identical. There was no way he could guess what was behind each one without opening them. His throat suddenly felt dry and his heart sped up as anxiety spread in his chest. He gulped as he tried to calm down his breathing, clenching his fists and running his fingernails all over his palms. He stood there until another boy emerged from one of the doors. He took a step back, pinning himself against the wall while looking straight at the boy, trying to guess his next movement. He had strong features yet there was something else about him. Something he needed to remember. Static and white replaced everything as all noises became muffled again, as if he was under water. He pressed a hand to his head trying to drown out the loud and painful ringing that was sounding through his ears. Every moment that passed, it became progressively harder for him to breathe. Each time he inhaled it felt like the air was igniting a fire that was burning his lungs and throat from the inside. He looked up as the other boy stopped in front of him and tilted his head to the side, a questioning look on his face.

“Why are you standing there, Yunho? Are you ok?”

The boy knew his name, but Yunho had no memory of having ever met or talked to him. He was in a house he didn’t know how he ended up in with some strangers who seemed to know him very well, yet he didn’t know anything about them. Why were they treating a stranger like a friend? They could have kidnapped him and drugged him, which was why he couldn’t remember anything, and now they were being kind to him to make him let his guard down and trust them so they could force him to do whatever they wanted. But what kind of drug had that effect? What would they want him to do? They could be members of a gang or the mafia. They could be drug dealers or human traffickers. There were so many possibilities, and they were all equally terrifying.

He pressed himself against the wall as the boy took another step towards him, putting a hand on his arm. The contact seemed to trigger something in his mind. It was trying to tell him something about the boy and it wasn’t anything good. Blood rushed to his head and made him dizzy as he shoved the boy away from himself. He looked around wildly for an escape route, but the boy was blocking the only way out of the hallway. He looked perplexed, but his expression quickly morphed into that of anger. He quickly scrambled up to his feet as he gaped at Yunho in disbelief. 

“What the fuck?”

He was screwed. He had reacted too impulsively and now the boy was angry. He felt his hands shake and he cowered his head in fear of what the boy was going to do. He was expecting to get beat up for making him angry, maybe drugged once again or stabbed and left to bleed out. Criminals were unpredictable after all.

“What is wrong with you?” The boy shouted. “Why would you do that?”

He wished he could answer the boy, but he had no answer to his questions. If anything, he wanted to know for himself what was wrong with him, but there was something bugging him and his mind wouldn’t let it go.

“I’m sorry but who are you?” He asked in a small voice, looking at the boy hesitantly, afraid he would cause another outburst. He heard a door opening and hurried footsteps approaching them, but he paid no attention to it, choosing instead to focus on the boy's eyes widening as the corners of his mouth twitched in annoyance. 

“Stop messing around. I'm not in the mood.” The boy growled at him.

“What?” He shrieked, flailing his arms around. “I'm not messing around! I really don't know who you are!”

The boy rolled his eyes, sighing heavily before poking a finger onto Yunho’s chest.

“Jeong Yunho-”

“Jeong?” Yunho cut him off. “That’s my surname? This is not right.” His voice broke. “Stop. Stop. Stop.” He was starting to hyperventilate. “I don’t remember anything. Why don’t I remember anything?” He cried out, almost out of breath. “How do you know me? I don’t know you! Do you know anything about me? Tell me!”

“Would you two stop screaming at each other at 7 o'clock in the morning?”

Yunho whipped his head around to be met by another boy around his age. How many of them were there? They could easily outnumber him and hold him hostage in the house. They probably had guns and knives and all sorts of drugs to keep him from escaping. He would never stand a chance against them if he were to stay, so he took advantage of the moment of distraction and bolted away from the corner he had backed himself into, shouldering both of the boys in front of him.

“Yunho, wait!”

He ignored the boy as he ran to what looked like the front door, slamming it behind him. He ran down the stairs, not caring about how hard and cold they felt under his feet. He needed to get away, _away_ from something, but every time he tried to remember what he was met with a blinding white image and a loud ringing in his ears. He finally saw the front gate of the building and stumbled towards it. He tried to open it, but he couldn't find the right button to press. His breathing got quicker and shallower as he blindly brushed his trembling hands against the wall, trying to find a way to open the door. He froze when he saw the boy that had interrupted the fight running towards him. He looked around for a place to hide but the other was too quick and grabbed his shoulders before he could run off again.

“Just… what are you doing?” The boy asked, out of breath.

“I- I- Please don’t hurt me.”

“What are you talking about?" The boy seemed genuinely confused, as he looked at Yunho, who was trembling violently, hands clenched into tight fists. “Why would we ever hurt you? Please, just come inside.”

Yunho shook his head. He would not be fooled by their acts.

“I don’t know who you are, just like I told the other guy.” He tried his best to sound fierce. “What did you do to me? Why can’t I remember anything? What are you going to do to me?”  
The boy opened his mouth but closed it again, seemingly at a loss for words. He blinked a few times, scrunching up his forehead before taking a deep breath.

“Look, we didn’t do anything to you and we’re not planning to. I don’t know what’s going on with you but running away like this won’t do you any good. If you really don’t remember anything then going outside isn’t safe for you. You don’t have anywhere to go, so please let’s go upstairs together. We’re going to help you, I promise.”

Yunho looked at him hesitantly. He sounded genuine enough and he looked quite worried. Something inside of him already trusted the boy, yet he still hung back, shuffling awkwardly where he stood.

“Come on, you don’t even have your shoes on.”

Yunho ended up following him. The same instinct that screamed at him to get away was telling him to follow the boy because he was safe and _home_ , which was why he let himself be guided to a small living room where the boy he had fought with was sitting.

“Let’s sit down and talk, ok?”

Yunho chose the futon furthest away from the two boys. He pressed his hands in between his knees, chewing on the insides of his cheeks nervously and casting his eyes down as he waited for them to say something.

“So, uh, San told me you were acting weird since you woke up. Are you sick or something?”

“No… I mean, I don’t know. I just have a headache.”

“Ok,” the other boy said in a voice laced with patience and understanding. “What’s this issue about you not remembering anything?”

“I don’t know,” Yunho mumbled, casting his eyes down. “I just know that my name is Yunho. I didn’t even remember that when I woke up. The woman told me my name was Yunho.”

The boys exchanged a worried glance before one of them spoke up.

“What woman?” 

“I don’t know, the woman who lives here.”

“Yunho, there’s no woman living here,” the other boy said. Now that he wasn’t shouting he actually seemed rather kind. “It’s just the eight of us.”

“Eight? You mean there are more people?”

“Of course, don’t you remember them?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t even know your names.”

There was a beat of silence.

“I’m Seonghwa and this is Hongjoong,” he cleared his throat. “You really don’t remember anything?”

“I told you I don’t!” He was starting to get frustrated. Why didn’t they believe him?

“It’s ok, there’s no need to get worked up,” Hongjoong said. “Has anything similar happened to you before?”

“I wouldn’t know, since you know, I don’t fucking remember anything. And besides, who are you? Why am I here?”

“We’re in a band together.” Hongjoong paused for a long time before continuing telling him about Ateez, which was apparently the name of their band where he was a dancer and singer. It looked like neither Seonghwa nor Hongjoong had any idea what was happening to him. Then again, they could be lying and making up stories to confuse him even more and tricking him into staying. But something in their voice made Yunho trust them both against his better judgment. He tried to remember, to catch even the smallest glimpse of the memories he was supposed to share with them, but his mind drew up a blank every single time. It was starting to give him a headache. He rubbed his temples as he tuned out Seonghwa’s voice telling him something about a song he didn’t even know existed.

He snapped out of his daze when he realized that no one was talking anymore. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were looking at him expectantly.

“Does that help you remember anything?” 

“No…” His voice cracked. “I don’t. I’m sorry, I really tried I swear.” He felt his throat close up as he came dangerously close to letting out a sob. “I tried, but all I see is- is this white light and some sounds that give me headaches and it hurts so much.” He paused to take a deep breath before looking up at the other two, eyes wide with fear. “What’s going to happen to me now? What if I never remember? How am I going to live when I don’t even know who I am?”

Hongjoong stood up abruptly.

“Get up, we’re going to the hospital.”

“But what about-”

Seonghwa was interrupted by the sound of loud knocking against the door.

“I’ll get that,” Hongjoong volunteered, “but after that we’re going to the hospital. There could be a million things wrong with him! This stuff isn’t normal.”

Hongjoong walked towards the door with heavy steps, wondering who it could be that early in the morning. He threw the door open, ready to bite off the person’s head. 

There were some men and women, five or six of them maybe, all dressed in black suits. They all had matching, shiny black sunglasses and fancy silver watches. A couple of them had bulky leather bags around their shoulders. A tall and heavily built man, who appeared to be their leader stepped forward, shoving his way forcefully past Hongjoong. The rest of his crew followed.

Hongjoong was frozen in place as they walked through the living room like they owned the whole building, grabbing Yunho forcefully and turning him around. A tall, middle aged woman snatched Yunho’s head and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Then she snapped Yunho’s neck.

Seonghwa felt like all air was knocked out of his lungs and now someone had an iron grip around them. He looked at Hongjoong desperately, but he looked just as horrified.

The leader lowered Yunho’s limp body to the floor while another man opened his bag, taking out a gray box with blades of all sizes on display inside of it. He took out the largest of them, placing it right above Yunho’s adam’s apple. 

Seonghwa tried to get up and stop him from whatever he was about to do, but he was blocked by two men. Hongjoong tried to step forward but was also held back by two other people.

When the man slashed the blade across Yunho’s throat, Hongjoong expected to see blood spurt everywhere, painting the carpet and walls with stains that would never be washed away. But there was no blood. Instead, he saw green and blue wires sticking out in every direction, some of them sizzling and smoking. The sound of a screw falling to the floor was the only thing that broke the heavy silence reigning over them.

The woman harshly pulled Yunho’s head away, separating it from the rest of his body. The sight of Yunho’s head resting twenty centimetres away from his body sent Hongjoong vomiting all over himself and the two people who were holding him. Still, they didn’t let him move any closer to Yunho.

The woman handed Yunho’s head to the man so casually it looked like she was handling a basketball. He took out another blade from his box, cutting along Yunho’s hairline. That part of his head dropped to the floor with a sickening sound. He took a huge pair of clippers from his bag, sticking them inside Yunho’s brain, made of more green wires and burnt microchips. He juggled them around, cutting and removing some wires here and there before sighing and setting them on the floor.

“This one’s far too gone,” he said to the leader. “We need to take him away.”

The men immediately let go of Seonghwa and Hongjoong. The latter’s legs wobbled and he felt himself fall to the floor, in a pile of his own vomit.

“Wait!” Seonghwa screamed as he threw himself on top of Yunho’s body. “What did you do to him?”

“We tried to repair it, of course. There was just too much data for its processors to handle. We need to take it away now.” The man who had opened up Yunho’s head looked at him curiously.

“Who are you? Where are you taking him?” Seonghwa asked, teetering on the edge of hysteria.

“To the recycling centre. It is damaged beyond repair.”

“What- Why- What do you mean?”

The man cocked his head to the side in amusement before rolling his eyes, giving Seonghwa a pitiful look.

“This is a clone. The real Jeong Yunho died five years ago in a car accident.”

**Author's Note:**

> AHAHAHAHHAHAHA I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS  
> Let me know what you think about this fic!


End file.
